Johannesburg - “Imagine a towering presence next to me holding my hand. And he would have been jiving with the Diepsloot choir children from Muzomuhle School had he been here.”
These were the words of Graça Machel at the opening of Steyn City, north of Fourways, on Tuesday.
“Madiba, who endorsed the concept of a new city in 2007 and planted trees at the time, is smiling down on us today,” she said.
Machel paid tribute to Douw Steyn, the developer of Steyn City, and spoke at length about the relationship between the businessman and her husband. Steyn was not present as he is ill.
“It was a father-son relationship with great respect between them,” she said.
After Mandela’s release in 1993, she said, Steyn embraced him and offered him shelter in his home, which is now the Saxon Hotel.
“He stayed in his home as a father, embraced by his wife and children. He needed a peaceful space for reflection while he was going to lead the transition process. It was there he helped to compile the new constitution for the first government of national unity. There, many comrades assisted him. Part of The Long Walk To Freedom was also written from there. He had privacy there,” she said.
Another fact, which is not well known, is that Steyn built a house for Mandela at Shambala in Limpopo where he had complete privacy and could view nature and animals in solitude away from the public eye. No one else was allowed to stay there.
“He loved nature and it was a space for him to reflect in peace. It was there he started to record his presidential years. But he grew tired and only set out an outline. I will not say more, but maybe these will be published,” Machel said.
She added that the fact that trees planted by him formed the basis of the Mandela Park in Steyn City, as it is now called, was a greater legacy than statues in his honour.
“He loved nature, because he felt deeply rooted in the soil of this nation. I am sure he is proud to be here in sprint and in heart,” she said.
Gauteng Premier David Makhura, who attended the opening, said Steyn City was a critical element of the vision of where Gauteng was going in the next 15 years.
“We, as the province, did not have the budget for infrastructure such as roads. Anyone who lives in this area, as I do, knows the frustration of the traffic on William Nicol (Drive) before.
“Although not complete, the road is a beautiful dream to drive on because of this important partnership between the private sector, in this case, Steyn City, and government.
“Had it not been for them, the roads in this busy area would not have been upgraded,” the premier said.
Many people criticised him for supporting the development, he said, saying it was for the super-rich, but it was not only important for infrastructure upgrades, but for 11 800 jobs which were created in the Diepsloot and Cosmo City areas, he pointed out.
This project was changing the face of Fourways, which is a catalyst in integrating Sandton with the northern areas.
Another important factor was that another “city” was being built around Lanseria, which was close by, as well as the Waterfall development to the east.
“Combined, these will have a huge impact in terms of jobs, infrastructure and quality of life, so those who criticise should see the greater picture.
“It is well known that 80 percent of capital is in private hands, so it is stupid people who would not work with the private sector to improve the province,” he said.
As a result of the partnership, a R6.5 billion injection into Steyn City, including the construction of a new arterial road – the R511 – and basic infrastructure for basic services, have been implemented.
The Star